Sudden Oak Death
Phytophthora ramorum is the cause of both Sudden Oak Death, a forest disease that has resulted in widespread dieback of several tree species in California and Oregon forests. P. ramorum has caused substantial mortality in tanoak trees and several oak tree species (coast live oak, California black oak, Shreve oak, and canyon live oak), as well as Ramorum blight, which affects the leaves and twigs of numerous other plants in forests and nurseries including California bay laurel, Douglas-fir, and coast redwood.*
P. ramorum reproduces itself via minute reproductive structures called chlamydospores. The primary means by which new P. ramorum infections are caused is through the transport of the chlamydospores to new locations.
It is fairly certain that one of the main means of transport for chlamydospores is in soil attached to vehicle tires and shoes.
IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING 14 COASTAL CALIFORNIA COUNTIES:
Marin,
Santa Cruz,
Sonoma,
Napa,
San Mateo,
Monterey,
Santa Clara,
Mendocino,
Solano,
Alameda,
Contra Costa,
San Francisco,
Lake,
Humboldt,
and or in Curry County, Oregon,
then we strongly urge you to disinfect your shoes after visiting OAEC, in order to reduce the chance of spreading this disease into currently uninfected areas.
Sudden Oak Death Disinfection Station at OAEC
If you're visiting OAEC from outside of coastal Northern California, then should you wish to take extra precaution in preventing transmission to your home area, we have a hose and a scrub brush available to dislodge the majority of mud from your shoes. After dislodging the mud, then you can use the provided Lysol spray as a final disinfectant.
If you have further questions please ask an OAEC staff person. We also suggest that if you would like to know more about Sudden Oak Death that you consult the Sudden Oak Death Task Force website at: http://nature.berkeley.edu/comtf/index.html